Smoke consumer



Nov. 17, 1942 F. R. HECKARD smoxm CONSUMER Filed May 7, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l N N Frank lf'jiechard INVENT'OR ATTORNEYS Nov. 17, 1942. F. R. HECKARD 2,302,623

- SMOKE CONSUMER Filed May '7, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 qe 1 a case G (I G G Q0 (1' FranFE. [ec?farcL INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 17, 1942 OFFICE 2,302,628 SMOKE CONSUMER Frank R. Heckard, Peoria, 111.

Application May 7,1941, Serial No. 392,369

1 Claim.

This invention relates to smoke consumers, and its general object is to provide an apparatus that is primarily designed for attachment to a steam boiler furnace of a heating plant, to not only materially reduce or eliminate the passage of smoke or exhaust gases and other products of combustion through the stack, but to direct the products from the furnace stack or flue and mix steam and air therewith, as well as to preheat the mixture so as to increase the combustible qualities of the gases and convert the products into free burning combustible material, and thence direct said material to the fire box of the furnace to be consumed with the fuel, thus bringing about a decrease in fuel consumption and consequently reducing the cost of operation.

A further object is to provide a smoke consuming apparatus that can be associated with various types of steam furnaces with minimum change to the structure thereof, and the apparatus is simple in construction, easy to install, inexpensive to manufacture, and extremely efficient in operation, use and service.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of my apparatus installed for use with a steam boiler furnace of a heating plant.

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken approximately on line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus with parts broken away.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken through Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the letter A indicates a steam boiler furnace of a well known type, that includes a steam dome B and a smoke flue or stack C.

My apparatus includes an upright substantially cylindrical drum like casing l of cross sectional hexagon shape in the form shown, and the casing which constitutes the body of the apparatus has a closed bottom wall and a top wall 2, the latter being provided with a central opening for a purpose which will be later described, and rectangular openings 3 providing air inlets, Each of the openings 3 is provided with a hinged closure that is made up of three plate like rectangular flap sections 4 in the form shown, and each section is movable independently of its companion section to open and closed position, so that the quantity of incoming air can be regulated to meet existing conditions, as will be apparent.

Extending through the central opening of the top wall 2 is an upright section 5 of a conduit that includes a horizontal section 6 shown as being integral with the section 5 by an elbow 1, and the section 6 is integral with the smoke flue C for communication therewith. However, in practice, these parts may be detachably connected together, as will be apparent, but in any event the section 5 is disposed centrally within the casing l and is of a length to extend below the transverse center thereof, but terminates a considerable distance above the bottom of the casing, as best shown in Figure 2. A supporting collar 8 is provided for the section 5 and is fixed thereto and to the top wall 2 to provide a leakproof connection.

The lower end of the upright section 5 is closed and the latter provides what may be termed an inlet chamber for the steam treated products of combustion from the flue C. That portion of the section 5 within the casing is perforated or provided with a plurality of substantially semicircular outlet openings 9 having their rounded portions disposed uppermost, and these openings are arranged in rows along the entire height of the section, to allow for free passage of the steam treated products within the casing to commingle with the incoming air from the inlet openings 3, thus it will be seen that the portion of the casing about the section 5, as well as below the same provides what may be termed a mixing chamber I0.

Steam is introduced within the flue C adjacent to its connection with the furnace, and between the latter and the juncture of the conduit section 6 with the flue, so that the steam will commingle with the products to moisten the same to increase the combustible qualities thereof before the products are directed from the flue into the conduit, for passage of the steam treated products to the casing through the outlet openings 9 to be mixed with the air within the chamber In.

The steam is taken from the steam dome B and for that purpose I provide a sectional pipe ll having a condensation trap l2 and a hand valve '3 therein and connected to the pipe ll by a T-coupling I4 is a pipe [5 that leads to the flue C, the pipe [5 being also provided with a hand valve [6 and a condensation trap H.

In order to preheat the mixture of the steam treated products of combustion and air and to convert the same into free burning combustible material, there is sleeved about the inner portion of the section 5 or inlet chamber a steam coil l8 for disposal in the path of the treated products as they pass through the openings 9, and the coil I8 is connected to the T-coupling M by an inlet pipe I 9 that has a hand valve 20 therein. An outlet pipe 2| extends from the coil 18 for passage through the casing I and has a condensation trap 22 therein.

The steam treated products of combustion are drawn from the flue C through the conduit and inlet chamber, and the said combustible material is forced to the furnace to be consumed with the burning fuel within the fire box thereof, by a suction fan 23 that includes a drum like housing secured to the casing I adjacent the bottom thereof by a coupling 24 disposed about an outlet opening 25, as best shown in Figure 2. Extending through the housing is a shaft 26 mounted in a suitable bearing secured to the housing, and fixed to and radiating from the inner portion of the shaft is a plurality of stems 2.1 having blades 28 secured thereto. The outer end of the shaft in the form shown has a pulley 28 secured thereto, for a belt not shown,- to be driven from suitable power means, such as an electric motor. However, the motor casing may be secured directly to the housing and in that event the armature shaft of the motor would have the fan blades connected thereto.

A conduit 30 is shown as being integral with the fan housing and extends therefrom for disposal through a wall of the furnace, and to terminate within the ash pit thereof for disposal the damper from opening in the opposite direction.

From the above description and disclosure in the drawings, the operation of my apparatus will be obvious, and it will be further obvious that the apparatus will substantially consume vall smoke or the like from the furnace and will likewise materially reduce the cost of operation thereof.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A smoke consuming apparatus comprising a substantially cylindrical upright casing provided with a top wall having air inlet openings therein, sectional closures for each opening and each section being individually movable to open and closed position to regulate the passage of air into the casing, a conduit including a horizontal section and a vertical section, said vertical section extending through the top wall to provide a chamber depending centrally within the casing having vertical rows of outlet openings therein, said chamber having its lower end closed and terminating below the transverse center of the casing but spaced from the bottom thereof, said horizontal section connected with the smoke flue of the furnace for conveying products of combustion to the chamber for passage thereof into the casing to mix with air therein, means for treating the products with steam before reaching the chamber, a steam coil sleeved about the chamber for disposal in the path of the products and to heat the mixture to convert the same into combustible material, a suction fan including a housing connected to the casing adjacent the lower end thereof, and a conduit between the housing and the furnace for conveying said material to dispose the latter into the fire box of the furnace.

FRANK R. HECKARD. 

